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Monday, June 23, 2014

This week was so much better than last week, thank goodness. We ended up repeating last week's runs because AR was so sick last weekend. This is why we have a buffer week in the plan, right?

Here were my workouts:
M - yoga and a walk
T - 3 miles (too lazy to check my watch for the pace)
W - 5 miles at a 9 min pace
Th - no run because of my stitches :(
F - rest
S - 5 miles IN AWFUL HEAT
S - 9 miles at a 9:49 pace

I had a great run on Wednesday morning before work and a dermatologist appointment. I ended up getting a biopsy done, which meant I couldn't run on Thursday morning due to stitches. I was really disappointed, but it happens. AR got all of his runs in, so he was happy.

We went our for an amazing dinner on Friday night, so our Saturday run got started a little late. It was SO HOT and HUMID. I really thought I was going to die. We finished at the farmer's market and I chugged a mango smoothie faster than you can say "hotlanta". AR says I also complained the entire way, which is probably completely accurate, haha.

I headed out for a shopping trip on Saturday afternoon and spent 5 hours of my feet. This was fun, but I started to worry about my poor legs when I got home.

Sunday's long run was perfect. It was hot and hilly and humid, but we didn't really have to stop at all for lights or anything. I didn't have to walk on any hills. I was so so happy with the outcome. We did an out and back route for a total of nine miles. Most of the miles were at about a 9:40 pace, but we had one at 10:00 because of a ridiculous hill. Overall, an awesome finish!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Hey all! Checking in over the weekend to share an amazing meal that AR and I had on Friday!

We went to Parish in Inman Park. We run past this restaurant every weekend on the Beltline and always say "we should stop there." I was so excited to finally try in this weekend!

We started with a decadent truffle grilled cheese, and drinks: Riesling for me, and a 'Love's Rock' cocktail for AR. The grilled cheese was so decadent, with gooey cheese on the outside and crusty cheese on the outside. We only ate half of it, because we wanted to save room for other yummy things. I made sure to box up those leftovers though! (You can see a picture of it at the bottom!)

Next, we split a deconstructed wedge salad. I would have liked more lettuce, but the homemade dressing was excellent - even for someone like me, who doesn't like creamy dressing.

For our main entrees, I had a a sourdough gnocchi with vegetables and a kale pesto. I was so surprised at how light this dish felt. The gnocchi was in a broth almost, with all of the fresh vegetables. The kale pesto was different than I expected and I loved it.

AR had fried chicken with pureed potatoes and asparagus. The chicken was to DIE FOR. It was topped with a light honey to sweeten, which was different, but a good combo. I was glad I didn't order the chicken, because it was on a bone and I don't like to eat chicken on a bone. But I like trying bites of it off AR's plate :)

I was so full, but something sweet was still in order. Parish is actually two restaurants in one, the top floor being the main restaurant, and the lower level serving as the Parish Market. We went down to the Market for our dessert and were completely captivated by the decor.

The Parish Market is so adorable, with brick walls and an open kitchen. There are big tables and long windows out to the Beltline, and walls of treats. We split a decaf latte and a magic bar: an oreo cookie crumble, chocolate chips, walnuts, and sweetened condensed milk. It was a little rick for me, but two or three bites his the spot.

I must mention that the staff, both upstairs and downstairs, was one of the best parts of the experience. There were excellent and I so enjoyed the experience.

The sun was setting, so we took our sweets outside and ate at a table on the Beltline. When we finished, we enjoyed a long walk (in my heels!). I cannot believe it has taken us this long to try Parish, but we will certainly be back!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

I kind of fell off the blogging train this week... I planned on writing a WIAW post on Wednesday and had a recipe to share on Thursday, but it didn't happen. But I'm happy to link of with Natasha for a little 5 on Friday and Leslie for some confessions.

I confess that:

1.I had my first visit to the dermatologist on Wednesday. I know I am a little late on that, but I am a religious sunscreen wearer, and I don't really have sun spots or anything. But I had some redness on my legs, so I went to the dermatologist.
I ended up getting a biopsy done (eek!!) and a blood test - results come back Monday. So now I have two stitches in my leg, which isn't cute.

2. I ate the same thing for breakfast 4 days this week. I have fallen in love with avocado toast. I make a piece of toast, and top it with a fried egg. Then, I spread mashed avocado on top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It is so so yummy. And grapefruit on the side makes it such a bright, fresh breakfast.

3. I am buying a new swimsuit cover-up for our beach trip next weekend, but not a swimsuit. AR and I bought tickets to head to Florida for 2 nights. I was going to buy a new swimsuit, until I dug around in my drawers and found 4 or 5 cute bikinis. I really cannot justify another one. So I am doing a beach cover up.
Here are some I have my eye one:

4. I totally loved my job this week. Being an attorney has some exciting parts! I think people imagine that we spend all day writing and reading (which could be true). But some weeks it is awesome. I interviewed witnesses this week and prepped for hearings, which was exciting. Is that silly?

5. I am hosting brunch for friends this weekend and have NOT planned what to make. Any ideas? I thought about biscuits, fruit, turkey sausage, french toast, quiche.... I don't know. I need help. It needs to be easy (Friends are coming over after I do my long run) and yummy. I'd love suggestions or recipes!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Marathon training started strong this week. It was week 2 and here is what my first few days looked like:

Monday: Strength training at the gym with lots of arm and ab work.Tuesday: 3 mile run in the evening, 9:30 pace.Wednesday: 5 mile run in the evening, 9:00 pace.Thursday: 3 mile run in the morning, 8:40 pace.

But things did not go as planned. On Thursday, I got a call from AR. He was traveling with work and had to go to the emergency room. He felt sick after his morning run and wasn't feeling better. He ended up missing his flight home and getting an iv and pain medication at the hospital.

AR came home Friday afternoon and was so so sick. He was on some serious pan medication and having trouble holding down food. Needless to say, I knew our Saturday morning run wasn't going to happen. Poor AR was feeling only slightly better on Saturday. We skipped the run and held out, hoping he would be well enough to run on Sunday morning.

My favorite running route in Atlanta

Sunday morning came and I was ready to run. AR got up, put his clothes on, and said "babe, I don't think I can run." He was right, it wasn't smart for him to run, he was in too much pain. So I figured I would go without him for my 9 miles and come back in an hour and a half for brunch.

Look what I found on our walk!

As I was putting on my shoes, I realized I didn't want to go without him. Running is our thing. We do it together. I'd be crushed if he went without me, so I couldn't go without him. So I suggested we grab coffee and go for a walk at the park. I'd rather spend time with him then complete a perfect marathon training.

We grabbed coffee and tool a long walk, getting 6 miles in on the Atlanta Beltline over about 2 hours. We chatted, laughed, and enjoyed the fresh air.

Love this view.

So did this weekend go as planned? No. Not even slightly. But relationships are more important than runs. AR and I built an extra week into our training for something like this. Next week we will be stronger :)

Friday, June 13, 2014

Happy Friday! Today's Five on Friday will be a a little random (like me) as I try to catch up on everything. I'm using my Friday party to share some confessions a la Leslie :)

1. I confess... that this man and I met 3 years ago this weekend. At a coffee shop. Totally random, two strangers who smiled at each other and started chatting. We did long distance, lots of long weekends, and here we are. I couldn't love him more.

First time at LSU - Summer 2012

First time meeting his family - Fall 2011

The end of my time in Teach for America - Spring 2013

2. I confess... that I got grades this week and it was awesome and weird. My grades were so much better than I even imagined. I was so excited and proud of myself and then... I felt really lonely. In law school (at least at my school), people are really competitive. While they may be happy for you, they likely don't want to hear how *awesome* you were. With mandatory distributions on the curve and published class percentages and ranks, everyone feels like a number.

It was not like Legally Blonde when she gets her LSAT score. I just called my mom :P

3. I confess... that I've become obsessed with you-tube make-up tutorials. Jaclyn Hill is amazing and I now have a serious contouring addiction. The only problem with this is that I now want to spend all my money at Ulta and Sephora. I now need like 10 new make-up brushes, a highlighter, and several new lipsticks (see below, lol).

4. I confess.... that I did not cook a single meal this week. Unless you could making salads and heating up veggie burgers "cooking". You know I love to plan out all of my meals, but I had so many leftovers in the refrigerator. So I didn't cook. And you know what? It saves a ridiculous amount of time. My mainstays have been this turkey meatloaf and Amy's veggie burgers.

5. I confess... I need a Target run this weekend. Here is what I plan on purchasing:

A denim vest - I want to wear this over summer dresses. I also like the idea of throwing it on with a maxi dress or skirt!

Monday, June 9, 2014

I plan to share a weekly recap each Monday morning so you can all follow along. Whether you are a seasoned marathoner, training for your first, or just curious, please join! I love your advice and encouragement as I get ready for the Chicago Marathon in October. I promise to be completely honest about each week and share my pace and mileage. You won't get any fake-happy posts about how I love running, because we all know training in the summer is not all rainbows and happy faces. It can be a little rough. I'll be honest and you will be kind and not judge, okay?

This week I ran a total of 24 miles. This is pretty light for a training week, but I appreciate the gentle start. Here is what it looked like:

Monday is my cross training day and I was kind of half-hearted about it. I did a home yoga session and lots of stretching. Eventually I would like to do more strength work, but I didn't on Monday. Why? Probably because I was feeling lazy and just wanted to play in the kitchen.

Tuesday and Thursday I ran outside. Thursday's run got rained out. Seriously. Like a flash flood and lightening storm. I had to run into CVS to hide. The nice guy at the counter gave me a plastic bag to put my keys in because I was worried about soaking my apartment clicker.

Wednesday was a good treadmill session. I felt really strong, even though I didn't finish until 8pm.

Saturday was a pace run. AR and I discussed it and decided we would warm up and cool down for a half mile each. I am only running at an 8:30 pace because that is about my goal pace for race day. In previous training plans, I've pushed my pace more, but I think that has hurt me during training. Lets me realistic: I am not running a marathon at a 7:40 pace. We went out pretty hard on Friday night, but we made it through the run just fine. On Saturday afternoon, we walked around a local festival and enjoyed some froyo :)

Sunday was 8 miles and we picked the hilliest route we know. I did bring a water bottle - when it gets this hot, I don't like to risk it. Once stretch of hills was nearly the death of me... I was running so slowly, it was embarrassing. The pace was a bit slower than I like, but anything between 9:30-10:00 is really fine for me on long runs. Hal Higdon suggests doing long runs 60-90 seconds slower than your goal pace, which means we are right on track.

Reflection: Over all, I feel this training will be really good. I know these back-to-back weekend runs are going to be rough. For one thing, waking up and running before it gets to hot on Saturday AND Sunday puts a real cramp on my weekend style. I think we may do some pace runs on the treadmill on Saturdays so we can go later in the day. Then again, I don't want to run late on Saturday and early on Sunday.
I want to be committed to staying on pace Saturdays and then going slow on Sundays. This week was fine, I just need to maintain that. I have a tendency to push too much on long runs and then hurt myself for runs in the next few days. All in all, I am pleased with the week :)

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Sunday nights are special. AR and I like to try new recipes, rent movies, play games, and relax. Because AR travels during the week, Sundays are our last day together and we like to slow it down as much as possible.

This Sunday was no exception. We made a favorite recipe: Lasagna Roll Ups. AR made the spinach and turkey filling. I cooked the noodles (breaking half of them) and a cheese filling. We assembled them together.

After 30 minutes in the oven, our lasagna rolls came out all bubbly and cheesy. We enjoyed them with steamed broccoli and a night of Scrabble.

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft. Add ground turkey and brown. Meanwhile, microwave spinach and drain excess water. Once the turkey is brown, add spinach and one cup of sauce.
2. Boil water and cook noodles as directed. Lay noodles out flat to cool slightly.
3. Mix ricotta, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, oregano, and salt & pepper to taste.
4. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Heat oven to 357*. To fill: Place noodle on a cutting board. Spread a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling across noodle. Top with a heaping tablespoon of meat sauce. Roll noodle up and place seam side down in prepared pan.
5. Continue filling and pack noodles tightly into pan. Pour remaining sauce over rolls and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

I'm checking in over the weekend to share my meals and fitness for the week. This week marks the start of Marathon training and I am both excited and anxious. AR and I did our last non-training run this morning - a cloudy 7 miles on the Atlanta Beltline. I felt awesome until I realized I'll be doing 3x that in a few weeks :(

About Me

I'm a new southerner, running enthusiast, and baking fanatic. I am always looking for something sweet to bake and a new restaurant to true! Join me as I navigate my twenties, my next race, and new recipes!